(CNN) -- Starting in March of this year, CNN iReport asked people from around the United States to help CNN define America. CNN wanted to know what you look like, what you eat, how you get around town, your accent and your handwriting style. In less than three months, we received submissions from all 50 states, and the iReports are still coming in daily!

As part of the Cultural Census project, CNN iReport is dedicating the next five weeks to sharing many of the interesting things you told us with the rest of our audience. "Why we portray ourselves the way we do" is the second of four stories that focus on the self-portrait segment of Cultural Census.